universal for our kids?

[Disneyfan1977]

Hi everyone
DH and I are planning a non disney vacation this year (his idea...not mine). We think we are going to go to universal studios/islands of adventure. My kids are 6 and 9. My 6 year old isn't real big on rides. Is this a waste of our money?

Also, we are trying to do this all on a budget. So any suggestions are also appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[joenan88]

I felt the same way as you but I was so wrong...we loved it!! The first time we went was November 07..my kids were 6, 7 and 10...Universal is a lot of fun..the Simpson ride, Men in Black and Shrek 4d is great..not to mention Jimmy Neutron and the whole atmosphere. Your 6 year old would love all those rides...Your 9 year old can venture onto the Mummy..it is an indoor rollercoaster...little scary but my boys (7-10 LOVED it)...Now the other park Island of Adventure is awesome..I think it is better then Universal...IMO...Spiderman ride is a must and Dr Suess land is too cute...I would recommend a 1 day/2park pass for your family just to try it out. Just keep in mind if you stay on site there you get the "express pass" added to your tickets at no cost...basically it is an unlimited fastpass (SOOOOOOOOOOOO WORTH IT)...but you can buy it for an additional cost...if you purchase it you can only use it once per ride...I think it is still worth it! Have fun...

 

[Disneyfan1977]

I felt the same way as you but I was so wrong...we loved it!! The first time we went was November 07..my kids were 6, 7 and 10...Universal is a lot of fun..the Simpson ride, Men in Black and Shrek 4d is great..not to mention Jimmy Neutron and the whole atmosphere. Your 6 year old would love all those rides...Your 9 year old can venture onto the Mummy..it is an indoor rollercoaster...little scary but my boys (7-10 LOVED it)...Now the other park Island of Adventure is awesome..I think it is better then Universal...IMO...Spiderman ride is a must and Dr Suess land is too cute...I would recommend a 1 day/2park pass for your family just to try it out. Just keep in mind if you stay on site there you get the "express pass" added to your tickets at no cost...basically it is an unlimited fastpass (SOOOOOOOOOOOO WORTH IT)...but you can buy it for an additional cost...if you purchase it you can only use it once per ride...I think it is still worth it! Have fun...

wow...thanks for the info. So you think that one pass to see both parks will be enough? If we leave the park, can we re-enter later? I hate to waste money, so if we can see it in one day, thats great.

 

[ky07]

wow...thanks for the info. So you think that one pass to see both parks will be enough? If we leave the park, can we re-enter later? I hate to waste money, so if we can see it in one day, thats great.

I would recomend 1 day per park and if you do get a 2 park deal yes you can leave the park and return later and I think you will be surpised on how much your kids would like the parks and the great themeing

 

[Metro West]

I would recomend 1 day per park and if you do get a 2 park deal yes you can leave the park and return later and I think you will be surpised on how much your kids would like the parks and the great themeing

 

[Tank]

I would also recommend 1 day per park. Kids that age will love the play areas and they take up a lot of time. Even with 1 day per park you will probably not see it all. We went two years ago for two days when my kids were 8 and 5. This year we are going for 5 thats how much they loved it.

 

[mjohnson96]

We are also going this year for 5 days with a 6 year old girl. I have worked to get her all excited about going to Universal since she is really big into Nick right now she is excited to see SpongeBob, Jimmy, and even some of the old characters that mom and dad grew up with. Plus she just loves Spidey and Cat in the Hat.

We also opted to stay onsite so we have the FOTL (great when you have kids) and to pool hop. I think we will actually relax a bit more than we have been able to at our previous Disney Vacations.

 

[Planogirl]

wow...thanks for the info. So you think that one pass to see both parks will be enough? If we leave the park, can we re-enter later? I hate to waste money, so if we can see it in one day, thats great.

I think that you might be surprised at how much YOU enjoy the parks. There's good places to eat too.

You can get two day passes reasonably priced on the Universal website. Universal is way less expensive than WDW.

 

[joenan88]

wow...thanks for the info. So you think that one pass to see both parks will be enough? If we leave the park, can we re-enter later? I hate to waste money, so if we can see it in one day, thats great.

I have been there twice...so I can do both parks in one day..my kids know exactly where they want to go ...but since it is your first time...you may want to spend one day in each park...Your kids are still little so they can not ride many of the rides at Island of Adventure..example..hulk and Dueling dragons....but there are great parts of that park for your kids...Dr Suess land and do not miss Spiderman....remember the express part of the ticket whether you purchase it or stay onsite is worth it...depending on if you are going during a busy time....Have a great time